//------------------------------// // 77 - Point-Counterpoint // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// Lex struggled to breathe again as he went skidding across the ground, the ache in his side momentarily driving all other thoughts from his mind. That thing’s kick had hurt! It was like being hit with a boulder, and as he managed to finally draw breath again, Lex dimly realized that this thing was different from the other fish-monsters that he’d faced on the boat. This one might actually be a threat. Even without casting any spells, Lex had several enchantments that were active on his person at all times, some of which were defensive in nature. The Night Mare had augmented those, and added a few of her own. In addition, she had also returned the magic items he’d originally sacrificed to her, which also had protective powers woven into them. The combined result meant that striking him with brute physical blows was exceptionally difficult to do, at least for ordinary foes. It would take an attack of considerable strength, skill, or luck – or some combination thereof – to successfully damage him. That creature apparently met at least one of those requirements. Sliding to a halt on his side, Lex groaned as he tried to get his hooves under him, certain that his attacker would be on him in moments. But no further attacks came, and as Lex looked back where he’d been struck, his eyes widened in alarm at the sight of it trying to pry open the warehouse doors. No! He had to stop it before- “Maa-jik poh-nee!” came a hateful roar from behind him, causing Lex to turn his head around. The sight that greeted him was another fish-monster, this one more familiar; it looked just like the things that he’d slaughtered on the ship…almost. It was half-again larger than those creatures had been, and had six limbs where they’d had four. But where those creatures had walked on all fours like a pony, this one had reared up on its back two legs, making it appear gigantic. Worse, it was carrying a shield in one claw, and a large trident in another other two…which was already coming down towards Lex’s prone form. Still not having recovered from the hit he’d taken, Lex reflexively tried to scramble out of the way, succeeding only in causing the points of the trident to pierce his torso instead of his neck. Crying out in pain, Lex dimly realized that he’d been kicked in this direction on purpose; that the other monster had been anticipating that its comrade would be waiting here with a follow-up attack! This wasn’t some sort of unfortunate coincidence. It was a coordinated assault. Even as he realized that, Lex saw something move overheard. Looking up, he saw…something, large. Its form was impossible to make out, being too blurry to reveal anything definitive, as though it were a painting that had been left out in the rain. But Lex had no further chance to analyze its nature as he heard it whispering something; it was only a second later, when it launched four small darts of light towards him, that he realized that it was a spellcaster, and likely the one who’d cast that fireball before. The four magic missiles flew unerringly to impact against Lex’s chest, but rather than hammering into his body they each winked out harmlessly as they made contact, causing him to grin slightly despite the incredible pain he was in. Whatever that thing was, it had no idea that one of his defensive enchantments was a thin screen of force calibrated to stop that specific spell, another one that was very common on Everglow. His victory was short-lived, however, as the creature by the warehouse was now skating towards him again, apparently having given up on the doors. Worse, even trying to move told him that the trident was barbed, and that its extraction would compound the damage it had dealt to him. The thing seemed to intuit Lex’s realization, because it bared its teeth in an approximation of a grin. “Poh-nee,” it growled, its voice guttural and harsh. “You do not deserve maa-jik!” Keeping a firm grip on its trident to hold him in place, shield still at the ready, its free claw reared back. “It belongs to the sahuagin!” With its declaration delivered, it slashed downwards, the tips of its claws aiming to tear Lex’s throat out. But before the deadly strike could find purchase, Lex’s body dissolved into shadows, which swirled as the claw passed harmlessly through his now-immaterial body. “I’ll give you magic,” he hissed, green eyes glaring hatefully. “The same magic that killed the rest of your kind!” The sahuagin’s eyes widened in alarm as it realized that its prey was no longer caught, and Lex felt a moment of spiteful satisfaction before moving straight down, his lack of physical form letting him pass into the ground without resistance. He hated having to retreat, especially after issuing a threat, but he knew there was no other viable tactic. Moving underground offered him cover that his enemies would be hard-pressed to overcome, and allowed him a chance to get some metaphorical breathing room and come up with a plan of attack. Although using his astral pony spell against those ghouls meant that he couldn’t call upon it now, and he hadn’t prepared his disintegration spell, he still had plenty of other offensive magic at his disposal. Vowing to show those aberrant monstrosities the power that had slain a dragon, Lex began to glide through the ground, a plan already forming in his mind… Lirtkra snarled as he struck his trident against the ground, accomplishing nothing save to dig a few small scratches in the stones. “He’s gone!” he seethed, looking around as though the poh-nee would suddenly emerge at any moment. When that didn’t happen, he cast a frustrated look at his companions. “Find him!” Losing one’s prey didn’t have any specific connotations in sahuagin culture; the simple fact that you’d starve if you couldn’t bring something down was enough. But even so, Lirtkra hated it when something he’d sets his sights on escaped him. He’d often swam after such errant creatures long after it had ceased to be economical to do so, determined to make his kill. But that wasn’t an option now, and that knowledge was almost unbearable. “I can track him,” rasped the Cripple. “Then do it!” roared Lirtkra. “Right now!” It paused for a moment before it began casting, and Lirtkra – who knew that it had done so just to show its defiance – gripped his trident so hard that for a moment he thought the metal would bend. He felt sure that it could have used its tracking maa-jik earlier if it had wanted to, saving them all from wasting time wandering aimlessly through this airy wasteland! But instead it had waited until the battle was already joined to do so. It was enough to make him grit his teeth. As soon as the poh-nee is dead, you’re next, he decided. “I have him,” came the Cripple’s sibilant voice. “He’s moving...that way.” It pointed one blurry limb at another building, a smaller one across from the row of warehouses. “Follow him!” bellowed Lirtkra, starting to head in the indicated direction. “And figure out a way to undo whatever maa-jik he used to escape!” He punctuated his demand with a glare at his aerial companion. This time the Cripple seemed to know better than to test his patience and flew in the indicated direction, Monitor following it dutifully. Lirtkra started after them, but not before he took a moment to lick the bloody points of his trident. The taste made his heart pound with excitement, and he rushed after the other two, his mouth watering with a literal thirst for violence. Lex raised his eyes above the ground to examine his surroundings. It was impossible to accurately judge distance or direction below ground, so he’d had to guess which direction to head in and hope he was leading them away from the warehouse. For once, luck seemed to be with him; the sight that greeted him was a sign that read “Wavy’s Inn and Restaurant.” Despite the situation, Lex couldn’t help but feel mildly amused at finding what was essentially another bed ‘n’ breakfast, thinking back to when he’d stumbled into Tall Tale so recently. Pushing the memories aside, Lex glanced around, before almost doing a double-take as he saw the three enemies he’d thought he’d left behind barreling towards him, just a few dozen feet away. How had they found him so fast?! No, he realized, not found. They had already known where he was before he’d come back above ground, which meant that they were tracking him somehow. Despite his mental defenses, and the counter-scrying spell he kept active on himself at all times, they had some sort of magic that he hadn’t protected himself against, and it was letting them zero in on his position, even when incorporeal and underground. Cursing, Lex turned and rushed into the inn, passing through the front walls and into the main lobby. Not finding what he needed for the trap he was planning to use, he kept moving, emerging into the restaurant portion of the building. The place was in shambles, with overturned tables and chairs all over the place, but in the middle of the room was exactly what Lex was looking for. Using his telekinesis to push the debris aside, Lex hurriedly made his preparations, moving the necessary item around and casting his spell, before replacing the camouflage for his trap. And not a moment too soon; the sound of splintering wood from behind him alerted Lex to his pursuers entering the building. Moving to the far side of the room, Lex turned and waited. It took only a few seconds for the three creatures to enter, with the four-armed sahuagin bursting in first, followed by the pudgy fish-thing, with the blurred creature floating cautiously behind them. Instantly, it burst into flame, spontaneously immolating with no warning. Rather oddly, the creature didn’t scream that Lex could hear, even though it began to immediately thrash in pain. Its companions didn’t seem concerned by their comrade’s fate, both of them sparing the briefest glances before apparently deciding that they didn’t care, rushing forward to close the gap between themselves and Lex. Exactly as he had anticipated. As they bounded forward, the two creatures ran straight across the center of the room, and Lex’s green-and-purple eyes narrowed as they approached. The sahuagin was slightly ahead of its comrade, and was the first to cross the center of the room, where a large carpet was laid across the floor. As it began to cross it, its footing suddenly gave way, and it plunged into the magically-created hole that the carpet had been hiding. It gave a surprised yell as it plummeted, only for its voice to be cut off with a muted splash as it hit the bottom, which Lex knew was filled with acid. Now if only the other fish-creature would follow suit! It was not to be. Although it was mere steps behind its fellow, the pudgy ichthyoid leapt just as it reached the edge of the pit. Turning a somersault in mid-air, it landed on its fins, losing none of its momentum as it bounded towards Lex, one limb already drawing back for another blow. Lex mentally smirked at the idea that it could hurt him without a spell or a weapon, but a moment later the thing's strike connected with his umbral body, causing him to release a grunt of pain at the impact. He’d felt that! It wasn’t solid, the way it had been when he’d been kicked, but there had been a definite sense of damage. Cursing as he realized that – just like the dragon he’d fought previously – this thing had somehow gained enough innate magic that its bodily attacks could hurt him even in his shadowy form, even if only somewhat, Lex fell back, giving ground. The creature lashed out with another kick, but this time Lex was ready, moving to avoid it moments before sliding back through the rear wall of the inn. As he did so, he saw that the blurred creature was rolling on the floor, trying to quench the flames still engulfing it. There was likewise no sign that the sahuagin he’d dumped in the acid pit was emerging from it. He briefly considered rushing back to the shelter and retrieving Severance, but discarded that notion. Even if they didn’t pursue him into the warehouse, getting Severance and returning would take too long; if his foes had healing magic, Lex didn’t want to give them time to use it. Instead, he started to circle the building, preparing for the next phase of his counterattack…